Welcome to Dallas, y’all! We like to shop. We like to dress up. And we like to eat out. I’ve lived in Dallas my whole life, and restaurants come…and restaurants go. But the best Dallas restaurants that can withstand sophisticated palates, real estate and oil market booms and busts, and thousands of new people moving to the Dallas area every day…these restaurants have made The Curious Cowgirl’s Dallas Restaurant Guide.
The Best Dallas Restaurants
I have curated a list of what I consider to be the best Dallas restaurants, complete with over 35 suggestions for my favorite spots offering Mexican, Tex-Mex (they are different things, y’all), Italian, and French. Hamburger joints made my list, as did a very special Ice Cream Shop. Whether you are in Dallas for business, visiting a college kiddo at Southern Methodist University, or here for a girls’ shopping weekend, you are going to get hungry! And I always say, life is too short for a blah meal. Am I right?
Hungry? I know I am! Let’s look at a few of my favorites:
Mexico City & Tex-Mex
There are so many Mexico City and Tex-Mex Restaurants to choose from, it’s hard to pick just one. And, in my full Dallas Restaurant Guide, which is totally FREE, I picked a few. Want a teaser? I am obsessed with Jalisco Norte. Their tortilla soup is to-die-for. And their guacamole…I could eat it every single day. If a Tex-Mex restaurant does not have good guacamole…I could care less what the rest of the menu is like. But Jalisco Norte’s guac….out of this world!
Other outstanding dishes: Lovely baked chicken in mole sauce…very nice traditional Mexico City fare. And a gorgeous interior décor, which always makes good food taste even better! Located in the Turtle Creek Shopping Center, there’s Valet, which is helpful even though there’s a large parking lot. I like to eat on the earlier side at dinner time, but the later it gets, the more crowded Jalisco Norte gets, so make reservations just to be on the safe side. I’d hate for you to miss out on this guacamole!
By the way….you might be wondering about the best places to shop, while you are in Dallas. I have a FREE Shopping Guide, organized by neighborhood, which you can scoop up for yourself by clicking on the button below:
Upscale American
Some of the best restaurants in Dallas offer fantastic upscale American fare. My husband and I are BIG fans of Bistro 31 in Highland Park Village. The manager, Michael Bratcher takes excellent care of everyone who dines there, and the fresh fish dishes are always delicious! We eat there for lunch, and dinner, and special occasions. Michael sees my husband coming, and he has his glass of iced tea ready and waiting for him! Kind of an inside joke, but the staff is really really good! My 50th Birthday Party was held in one of their party spaces upstairs. Excellent service. Excellent food. Super nice people! Valet is available. Reservations highly recommended, even at lunch.
I have other Upscale American favorites too! The full list is FREE! Check out my complete Dallas Restaurant Guide by clicking here!
Taco Tuesday
Yes, all my readers who are not from Texas. Tacos are not just for Tuesdays! And there’s a new kid in town…and the tacos are excellent. Muchacho offers several different options, and every one I’ve tried is delicious. This is a chain based out of Houston, and I don’t go to very many chains, but this one is very very good! Located in Preston Center East, there’s plenty of parking. Reservations are necessary.
Brunch
Wow….Brunch has really become a thing, y’all! For the Empty Nester crowd, this is a new landscape, as for many years we were raising kids, attending sports events and dance recitals…what is this Brunch you speak of? Now, our kids are all about The Brunch, so let’s get with it, y’all!
My husband and I don’t look for the best Dallas restaurants serving brunch with bottomless mimosas….we actually want to eat good food. (Call us crazy). There’s quite a few good choices, and you can get my complete list here, but one of my favorites is Le Bilboquet, Why? Because this French Bistro has excellent Eggs Benedict. And Hollandaise sauce is hard to get right. And these folks get it right!
OK….so I know that’s not all the major food groups. There’s steak restaurants, and lunch spots. There’s BBQ, and there’s dessert spots. And I have suggestions for all those categories! You can get the complete FREE list by clicking here!
From Bishop Arts to the Dallas Design District…there’s great dining out options all over Dallas!
Dallas friends, did I miss one of YOUR favorites? Let me know fun places to eat in Dallas in the comments!
Happy Dallas Dining, y’all!
Tags: BBQ | Bishop Arts | Brunch | Dallas | Dallas Design District | Dallas Restaurant Guide | Dallas Restaurants | Downtown Dallas | East Dallas | Greenville Avenue | Highland Park Village | Mexican Food | Preston Center | Steak | Tacos | University Park | Uptown
I’m an Asian food junkie and my top faves are Asian Mint, Oishii and Shinsei. Can’t get enough of these — all owned and operated by locals! Your list sounds like a great gift for someone new to Dallas or a frequent visitor, Mary — as well as natives who are stuck in a rut…
YES!!!! Great suggestions! Asian Mint is in my Guide! Great minds think alike!
OK, now I’m really hungry. Or as I say HANGRY!
xoxo- Tanya
Lol…I got SO HUNGRY working on this post!
You nailed it with Bistro 31. I don’t haunt the Dallas restaurants much because of the great restaurants in Frisco and Plano Legacy, but must have an occasional short rib pappardelle at Bistro 31…also the cioppino at Ferrari’s Italian Villa and Chop House in Addison.
So glad to have YOUR restaurant suggestions Sandra! Thank you for sharing! Hope you are doing well!!!! xoxo
bartaco is new name to me, looks really good!
We love it!!!!! And if you are a Margarita person, they used freshly squeezed lime juice! VERY fresh and tasty!
I am admittedly biased, but if you haven’t tried Dunston’s Steakhouse on Lovers Lane, please give it a try for consideration on your list. Dunstons is the oldest steakhouse in Dallas with a throwback old school charm like no other. Dunston’s legendary Back Door Bar, with the first liquor license issued in the State of Texas, is a Dallas institution!
Anna, thank you so much for your comment! Dunston’s is TRULY an institution in Dallas! What a fantastic history!!!! I have not been in years, but will make a point to in the near future!